Details on the Unreleased Randy Travis “Storms of Life” Tracks

Word came down in June that to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the release of Randy Travis’s debut album Storms of Life, a new 35th Anniversary Edition had been compiled to be issued on September 24th. Along with remastering the original 10 tracks of the now Triple Platinum-selling record, the new edition would also come with three previously-unreleased tracks. But aside from the track names, we didn’t have any more information on what these previously-unreleased tracks were.

Any unheard music from Randy Travis is considered precious since a stroke in 2013 afflicted Randy with aphasia, making it difficult for him to speak. Since then many fans have been wondering if there were any unreleased recordings from Randy’s heyday just sitting in the archives waiting to be discovered. Well, when it comes to the three new songs to be released on the new Storms of Life edition, that’s exactly what they are.

Recorded in 1985 around the time of the rest of the Storms of Life album, the three unreleased songs slide perfectly into the original track list. Why they were left on the cutting house floor in the first place is anyone’s guess, but they capture Randy Travis in peak form, brought to life by producer Kyle Lehning.

“These three unreleased, never before heard Randy Travis recordings are like rambling around in your basement and stumbling on an old photo album,” says Kyle Lehning. “An album full of pictures of old friends and family. Some still with us and some long gone. Upon opening the album, the memories rush back full force. The smells, the feel and the sounds all awakened and new again.”

“Carryin’ Fire” was written by Red Lane, Jim Ray, Sam Beck, and is a slow tempo waltz-timed love song. It sounds like it could have been a hit single if it was released in 1986 with the rest of Storms of Life.

“Ain’t No Use” written by Randy Travis with John Lindley is a lot more up-tempo, and could have been a hit as well. Long-time Randy Travis fans will recognize this song as the lead track off of Randy’s 1982 live album from The Nashville Palace when he was still washing dishes in the place and going by the name of Randy Ray. This studio version is a much more polished version of the song.

And “The Wall” written by Lee Fry, Jim Sales, and Phil Thomas is a stone cold country heartbreaker. Though a little more contemporary for the time in the musical approach, it still fits with the neotraditional sound that Randy helped re-popularize when he released Storms of Life in 1986.

“I love the timeless lyrics and the traditional country instruments, like steel guitar, banjo, piano, fiddle,” Travis says about the album. “It was music I believed in, that told a story I wanted to share. We were fortunate to have a large catalog of songs to choose from that were more traditional. At the time, people and radio really weren’t playing this kind of music. Most people were recording more of an urban cowboy sound, so I got to choose from the best of the best, cream of the crop. It was exciting for all of us to get back to our roots.”

You will be able to hear all three of the unreleased songs along with the remastered original tracks on September 24th. Storms of Life 35th Anniversary Edition will be available for pre-order on August 27th.

TRACK LIST:

1. “On The Other Hand” (Paul Overstreet, Don Schlitz)
2. “The Storms of Life” (Max D. Barnes, Troy Seals)
3. “My Heart Cracked (But It Did Not Break)” (Ronny Scaife, Don Singleton, Phil Thomas)
4. “Diggin’ Up Bones” (Al Gore, Paul Overstreet, Nat Stuckey)
5. “No Place Like Home” (Paul Overstreet)
6. “1982” (Buddy Blackmon, Vip Vipperman)
7. “Send My Body” (Randy Travis)
8. “Messin’ With My Mind” (Joseph Allen, Charlie Williams)
9. “Reasons I Cheat” (Randy Travis)
10. “There’ll Always Be A Honky Tonk Somewhere” (Steve Clark, Johnny MacRae)
11. “Carryin’ Fire” [from the vault] (Red Lane, Jim Ray, Sam Beck)
12. “Ain’t No Use” [from the vault] (Randy Travis, John Lindley)
13. “The Wall” [from the vault] (Lee Fry, Jim Sales, Phil Thomas)